City of Rehoboth Beach Extends Demolition Permit for Grotto/Sirocco Motel
Demolition between Rehoboth and Baltimore Avenues of the Grotto Pizza and Sirocco Motel will be allowed to continue for another month. There is a traditional moratorium on this activity between May 15 and September 15, however because the structural integrity of the entire motel building is compromised, the City of Rehoboth Beach has granted permission for the demolition to continue. Demolition work will be permitted from 8am to 7pm on weekdays only with the exception of Saturday, May 31st. There will be no demolition work allowed over Memorial Day weekend.
Additional information from the City of Rehoboth Beach:
Demolition at the site began last month. As the beach store at the front of the Sirocco Motel was removed, it became clear that the structural integrity of the entire motel was compromised. A second-floor steel support beam is clearly rolling backwards, and the entire structure appears unsteady.
Demolition activities recently stalled so that the building could be shored up in order to allow workers to safely dismantle the entire structure by hand, a process that is expected to require about four weeks. Original plans called for only the top, third story of the structure to be dismantled by hand.
“The building in its current state represents a clear safety concern,” says City Manager Taylour Tedder. “It doesn’t appear to us that the building in its current condition can remain standing safely through the summer season. For this reason, Mayor Mills and I have granted permission for the developer to continue working as safely and expeditiously as possible.”